Cooper Tires British F3 Champion honoured at top awards ceremonies

The 2012 Cooper Tires British F3 Champion, Jack Harvey, has rounded off his motorsport season in style, collecting two awards and becoming a full member of the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC).

Harvey was awarded the Spencer Charrington Trophy at the BRDC Awards at The Grand Connaught Rooms on December 3 and collected the ‘driver of the year’ accolade at the annual Guild of Motoring Writers Awards, which were held at the Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall, on December 6.

Racing with British F3 powerhouse Carlin, Harvey managed his Cooper tyres expertly through the season - often in challenging conditions - to win seven races in 2012. Fighting off fierce competition from teammate Jazeman Jaafar and Fortec Motorsports’ Felix Serralles, Harvey sealed the title victory at the championship finale in September to become the first British winner of the series since Mike Conway in 2006.
The BRDC, home to the most successful racing drivers from Great Britain and the Commonwealth, is a select motorsports members club and acts as ‘guardians of British motor sport.’ Harvey recently became a full BRDC member by board recognition following two years as a BRDC Rising Star and a further two years as a BRDC SuperStar.
The annual awards ceremony, which boasted a star-studded lineup of pundits and guests, celebrated motor racing achievements of 2012. Harvey was awarded the Spencer Charrington Trophy, which is given annually to the highest placed British driver in the Cooper Tires British F3 Series.Amongst its aims, the Guild of Motoring Writers seeks to improve the quality of motoring journalism and increase road safety. The guild now boasts over 400 members in the UK and overseas, making it the world’s largest organisation of motoring journalists. The annual awards ceremony rewards outstanding examples of journalism and photography, as well as a select number of drivers and riders, who have proven to be exceptional over the course of the year.Collecting the Driver of the Year award, Harvey joins an illustrious group of motor racing legends, including Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Stirling Moss, and more recently, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 test driver, Oliver Turvey.Speaking to Cooper Tire after the awards ceremonies, Harvey said, “Firstly, it’s fantastic to become a full BRDC member in a nonconventional way; for the board to have decided that they want me to be part of arguably the most elite club in the world means a huge amount to me. As a racing driver, to have the support of the BRDC is very, very special and to pick up a BRDC award and be amongst such respected motor racing legends is indescribable.“As for the Guild of Motoring Writers award, that was quite out of the blue really – when I looked at the list of past winners I was quite astounded; there are few better lists of people to join than that…maybe just the list of F1 Champions! Ultimately, awards like this mean a huge amount because it shows that people have faith in me and people recognise what we achieved – we had a great year, it was tougher than it should have been, but our character shone through. It’s just a great way to end a really memorable season.”The opening round of the 2013 Cooper Tires British Formula 3 Season will take place at Oulton Park over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend (March 29 and 30).